That's Not Science, That's Love!
by chibitzee
Summary: When a hazel-eyed future Pokémon Master meets a genius electric-type gym leader, which direction does the world turn? To science, or to love? Join the Diode clan through a collection of precious oneshots featuring the beloved Ash and Clemont. "Because science is so amazing, but it only is so when I'm with you."
1. There's A Light

**Sup, ChiiRyeeBiee here. Okay, I know I'm going to break it sooner or later but I've been wordlessly writing and vowing to myself to update at least every fortnight (give or take) as a tribute to the New Year. Come on, self! Let's make 2016 super successful!**

 **Now, I've been hella craycray for this dumbass ship (Craycray enough to use the word _craycray_ , wooow, wooooooow! Goddamnit, Diodeshipping I freaking hate you). It's basically one of those pairings that I can't get enough of no matter how long my phase is and whatever the heck these two do brings out the cute aggression in me (Die! You stupid nerds, I love you) So I figured... that's it, more drabbles, more drawings, more imagines, moar _moar_ moar before I explode from a short-circuited brain (yes, yes, oh harhar.) And since I want to make it a habit to write shorter stories and update frequently, this is pretty much a win-win situation.**

 **Uke Ash belongs to his seme Clemont... mostly. I don't own Pokémon (how tear ;_;) because if I did... *scoffs* it wouldn't be Pokémon. (^◇^;) Come join me in the Diode road! I hope you like this flooffy oneshot and the future ones I write! :)**

* * *

There's A Light (K)

 **Summary:** Ash is concerned about being sick with something, and Clemont tries to help.

 **~o~**

Ash seems glum again, Clemont notices as he lifts his trusty ladle to his lips and performs a flavour check on the food. Hmm. This soup could use a tad more basil, and so the blonde adds just that and stirs the stew as vigorously as a contemplating, concerned individual could. Bonnie is a few distances away keeping Chespin and Dedenne entertained, as well as the rest of the group's Pokémon. Last time he glanced their way, Pikachu seemed all too glad chasing Braixen's tail around in circles.

But anyway, back to Ash. The guy is staring off into distance — legs and arms crossed in his sitting position, an evident pout on his face. If his glasses weren't clouding up from the steam of this stew, he'd have caught the ravenette's occasional confused glimpses thrown his way, or rather, the top of his head anyway. To Clemont, Ash appears to be deep in thought, and knowing the boy, it must be something important enough to trouble him so...

"Something wrong, Ash?" He calls out after covering the pot to boil. At the sound of his voice, the ravenette freezes on the grass and shakes his head frantically, adamantly silent.

"Are you sure? If you're hungry, this food's almost done. Say, give or take ten minutes? There's plenty for thirds as always."

"...M' alright..." A small voice answers him back. It's a wonder Clemont even heard it over his enthusiastic sister's, "No, Dedenne, don't go too far!" and the Pokémon in question's, "Dene! Dene dene!" — a feat uncharacteristic for the overpowering loud dark-haired teen. When the sighs start coming, that's when Clemont knows something's really wrong. A last minute check on the fire and he walks over to the squatting boy to cheer him up.

"Okay, world's future Pokémon Master. What's on your mind?" Much to the blonde's disappointment, the light compliment doesn't seem to faze Ash from lala land one bit. He kneels beside his friend and lays a comforting hand on the guy's shoulder, only to receive yet another sigh in response.

"Seriously Ash, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?" He tries to think back to their recent escapades and besides Team Rocket being a pain in the behind as always, so far, nothing off has happened to them. They've been on the road for the next gym for a while now, and while it's nice to camp on the outskirts of Kalos, reaching a new city would be much appreciated.

Maybe that's what Ash is bothered about?

Before he could ask however, Ash suddenly curls within himself and, at his boredom, rocks his legs forwards and backwards with his chin on his knees. The pot still needs to simmer up a bit, so Clemont has time to talk. Ash sniffs and watches the long blades of grass on the field sway in the breeze, blinking rapidly.

"I think I'm sick." is what Ash mumbles, several minutes of waiting later. He doesn't try to make eye contact with the blonde but he continues explaining as best as he could anyway, the gears in his brain turning for the right words. How to say...

Luckily Clemont is a patient one.

"Clem, you know all about science, right?" The hazel-eyed boy starts.

"Uhh... well, not really. I specialize in mechanics and physics. There are several branches of science such as Biology and Chemistry, and, of course, there's Medicine, Meteorology, Climatology, Psychology... even Pokémontology is science. Why do you ask?"

"It really is that complicated huh... I was just wondering..." Hands between his legs, he turns to Clemont and weakly grins. "...Lately I've been feeling a little odd. I know you're not a doctor, but I was hoping you could give me an idea of what's wrong with me."

Clemont's pot has a specialized timer on it, so he'll know the stew is cooked once the timer starts to squeal. However, talking to Ash right here's got him stuck between listening to the teen AND overcooking the food or leaving him for a brief second... Hmm...

It's just fortunate that Bonnie is closeby. "I got it!" yells the hyperactive blue-eyed girl, Greninja and Pancham following close behind.

Adjusting the frames on his face, the gym leader nods and encourages his friend. "Go on. I'll try my best to look into it." He'd do anything to help, no matter how miniscule or troublesome the problem is. Anything for Ash. Anything for his friends.

"There's this thing." Ash looks around. "Whenever I look at everyone else, they look like pretty ordinary people. But then when I look at... err... certain people, there's this permanent white light hovering around them."

Permanent... white light? Around _certain_ people?

"Almost like... they've become angels or something." adds the hazel-eyed teen. "Then there's standing next to everyone else and feeling completely normal, but when I stand next to certain people my heartrate speeds up, I start to sweat more and my stomach feels funny. I feel the same way when I battle, but it's different since I'm not even doing anything and it happens. Then there's the dreams... I don't know if there's a ghost Pokémon out there capable of causing something like that but... it's really weird and I'm... kind of scared."

.

.

.

...Clemont nods. And tries not to smile, because he already _knows_ and, well, he thinks it's a little adorable how clueless Ash was about it. If he teased him a little, would Ash mind? But no, the ravenette trusted him with this confession. He meets the boy's hopeful eyes and wordlessly lets him know that he's got it. Nothing seems to prepare him for Ash's worried question afterwards.

"Am I going to **die** , Clemont?"

"No, no. You aren't going to die. With... certain people, this sort of thing happens, so it's not a problem, and you aren't sick. Imbalances in your bodily chemicals and the changes in your thoughts towards said people are all to blame. I can't say I've ever seen glowing people yet but... it _may_ happen someday."

Clemont's kind of curious about the identity of this **special person** , and he's even more so when Ash begins to fidget and blush a beautiful shade of red. What a lucky person. Standing up to attend to their lunch preparations, he scrunches his nose at the ravenette and squeezes one of his shoulders. "Tell me more about it if you want to, alright? I'm always here to help."

"Y-Yeah. Thanks for helping me, Clem." Ash grins at him appreciatively. There. A bright smile — that's exactly what the blonde wants to see on his friend's face. He isn't sure why the sunlight's shining down on the dark-haired teen all of a sudden as he turns around too soon and calls their Pokémon for feeding time.

Once left to himself, Ash spares a last glance towards Clemont's way through his long fringe. There's a last sigh that escapes his lips before he moves to pick Pikachu up and head for the nearby picnic table. The whole day's been a cloudy day. At least now he knows what's up when he shields his eyes further from brightness surrounding the bespectacled blonde and places a fist over his chest.

"The world's too bright when I'm with you."


	2. This Silence

**Second oneshot! That's actually a twoshot! Omg, Chii _lied_ about le oneshots, shame shame! But it's late at night and the plot went away on its own. I've just managed to stop it where it's right. ლ(= з = )ლ**

 **I like this one better than the first. I was all about posting this one first but I've just wrapped it up now (I kid you not, the second I finished _There's A Light_ , I immediately worked on this one.) The story itself is probably rushed but it's a oneshot (twoshot) so ehh. YOLO. Maybe. Did I mention I was a trash, because I am. Whoops.**

 **So far I have ideas for two more "potential" oneshots, so I _might_ be able to work on them before Vday where I'm prioritizing writing like crazy. All these pairings, so little time! I hope you enjoy this story, nyan! **

* * *

This Silence (K, Part I)

 **Summary:** Sometimes saying nothing is enough to make a new friend.

 **~o~**

There's a really quiet boy in Clemont's Information Technology class.

Compared to the crowd that usually enters the classroom with discussions of the late weekend, the raven-haired boy prefers to slip in unnoticed, sit down at his desk closest to their teacher and boot up the computer in front of him.

And then, choosing from the practical tasks displayed on the board, he works. Just as he's supposed to. No words uttered as he deciphers cout and cin, occasional glances on the tutorial book in front of him. He never asks help from their teacher but the guy checks on him anyway, too frequent than he probably should.

Clemont used to sit at the second group of computers, closest to the door. Tierno, Trevor and Calem kept him company, and on the off-chance the A-plus student was stuck on coding an array, they were there to help each other out. Outside their square of friends, he's never really noticed anyone in other classes. The blonde's just too busy to pay attention, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

One day, their teacher went ahead and assigned them seats for a certain practical task that involves partners. He ended up paired to Sabrina, prompting him to move next to her on the first group of computers, completely adjacent to the desk closest to the teacher. Clemont doesn't remember if it was the boy's rosy scarred cheeks or his perfect hazel eyes that caught his attention, but whatever it was, it was enough to distract him from that particular lesson, much to his partner's annoyance. Then, after enough deliberation and weighing out the pros and cons together, he'd asked if he could permanently sit there for a while, just _because_ (it wasn't like the blonde was lying when he said he needed to sit closer to the board — his eye grade HAD gone up that semester. And Tierno and the gang could live without him for ONE class. He would benefit to have yet another _friend_ , after all, mhmm, point number three! Plus, it's a lot easier to ask for help that way, since the teacher was only a walk away!

At least, those are all things he'd been telling himself to justify his weird decision.)

For the first few lessons since then, the bespectacled blonde kept to himself, simply observing the mysterious teen through the gap between the computers. He made it a challenge to himself even, because the faster he got his practical work done and assessed by their instructor, the more time he could spend... watching. How fascinating it was for him to learn new things about the boy, like the fact that he's left-handed, and the reason why he was so detached was because he was always listening to music. Maybe when the time comes for Clemont to man up and finally say hi, he'd have something useful to talk to him about.

 **~o~**

Quickly ticking by are the seconds as the genius teen awaits his potential friend before class starts. That lunch hour, he'd been rehearsing several conversation starters to say to him, like this trick with the debugger he learned from his dad to locate runtime errors easier. Clemont already knows his name, but he also knows it's courtesy to ask anyway. **Ash** , like the tree, like the leftover dust from large forest fires. A happy, independent name for a future leader, with a strong personality, uniqueness and creativity all in all.

.

.

.

...God, he's _hopeless_. Even in his subconscious, Clemont knows he's got it bad. Who is he trying to kid, he's in way too deep and he shamelessly _likes_ him; if this is what it was like to admire someone, he's just sorry because he's a downright failure at it.

Just as he smacks himself square on the face for the fifth time that minute, who else but Ash tarries near him and leans on the glass door of their computer classroom. Humiliation alert! Freezing, he pretends that nothing's wrong and tries to stand around as naturally as possible. This is Clemont's one-in-long-time chance to make a new friend. Quickly, while no one else is around and his friends are still out packing up for lunch. If he screws this up now, then... well, he just hopes it doesn't affect him in the future.

"Um, hi." Start simple. The blonde breathes in and out, sapphire eyes travelling to the heels of his shoes, to the glass wall and back at Ash. The teen keeps to himself and pulls out his phone from his pants pocket and blinks. Did he mumble too quietly, maybe? A second time and a little louder might be the perfect solution.

"Hi, what's your name?"

It's sad to say but the ravenette still ignores him, his attention now glued to the screen of his phone.

Ouch. It hurts to be ignored.

Clemont decides to greet him one last time before calling it a day and perhaps trying again when his self-esteem heals. Tapping the boy on the shoulder, he manages a not-at-all-broken hello and smiles. Those hazel eyes speak louder than words as they slowly observe him with surprise, a little fear, curiosity and joy. Then, tucking his fringe between his ears with one hand and typing on his phone with the other, the hazel-eyed teen flashes the screen happily at the blonde when it's ready.

 _"Hi."_

.

.

.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! When the time finally comes for him to say hi, of course Clemont wants to kick himself at the groin for not knowing the most important part about Ash until he'd finally said something! Seeing the hearing aid surprised him enough that when he'd looked back at Ash, he's positive he'd made a terribly offending facial gesture because the boy miserably takes a step away from him.

"No! No, please, don't hate me, I wasn't— I totally didn't know, I'm sorry, I just want to be your friend." God, he needs to stop talking because it's **useless** , _Clemont_ , you massive fail. He's learned a bit of sign language in his spare time so he curls his right fist and desperately hovers it above his chest in a circular motion. Alphabet, uhh, crap, how do you sign " _my name is"_ again? Darn, when it comes to direct exposure, he really isn't a genius at all.

Ash nods hesitantly and fiddles with his phone further before pulling out what seems to be a really important note and showing it to him.

 _"Hi, my name is Ash. I was born on the 22nd of May, so I'll be turning 17 this year. I was born like this so I'm used to it, and yes sometimes I find it difficult. My hearing aid helps me read lips, and I'm quite good at it, yes. My favourite subject is ICT and I've been aspiring to become an accomplished programmer. I don't mind the weather so much, or know how insert-third-world-country-here is doing, but my week's been going great lately and I do like making new friends. Nice to meet you, your-name."_

"O-Oh, m-my name? Umm, it's Clemont. Uhh, _right_ , err, god, I am so _sorry_ , let me search it up quickly—" he babbles. But then the sapphire-eyed teen doesn't get a chance to because the bell finally rings and their teacher is already making his way to open the classroom.

It's quite admirable that Ash has that introduction note complete with replies to the ridiculously clichéd conversation starters at the ready. When it comes to conversations, the ravenette's high mile ahead of him, that's for sure.

Later that lesson, the blonde almost bursts into laughter when a certain chat box pops on his screen with the sentence, _"I can't believe your name is Lemon. I probably read your lips wrong and if so, please correct me."_ He's not sure what he's gotten himself into, but Clemont knows whatever it is, it's going to be an interesting and fun-filled friendship.


	3. Pocky, anyone?

**Privet, Chii in the house! It's been such a busy February lately and I'm glad of it (because Chii = massive procrastinator + lazy = no work done = forever sad face good game). Thank Arceus for motivation! I've gotten a tonne load of plot bunnies lately and WHILE I still have time off I vow to write, write, write until I can write no more (or I get hit by the lazy fan, _again_ ). Hopefully I pull it off, LOL.**

 **This is a stally oneshot. And by stally I mean, _dude, wtf, where is my Diodeshipping? What is this filler crap?_**

 **Bad Chii. (;¬_¬) I've decided to put it in the _near_ end because a) party scene (which means the addition of other, non-Diodecentric characters) and b) I am massive Livecastershipping trash. Don't worry. I swear it's still full of Diode electricity. XD *wink***

* * *

Pocky, anyone? (T)

 **Summary:** Ash and Clemont join in a partywide pocky game.

 **~o~**

Rule Number One in Ash Ketchum's _Absolutely Unbreakable Protocol:_ food is meant to be eaten, not played with.

So he's quite puzzled when the special celebrant and his dear friend Rosa taps him on the shoulder and invites him to participate in the party games.

"Err...?"

"I swear it'll be fun. A lot of guests are going to join too," she beams at him, also mentioning that there'll be food involved as well. That's enough to convince him because he eventually follows her away from, ironically enough, the food table, and into the main floor of the party hall.

The fancy soirée in the middle of Unova's Join Avenue celebrating the brunette girl's latest movie release was something Ash had on his schedule ever since Rosa got accepted for the main role in the Love and Battles series. He won't miss it for the world. Not to mention, her boyfriend Curtis throws the best parties, and it's not only because he's a well-known Pokémon Idol. Curtis happens to be an expert on finding only the best catering services, occasionally pitching in a seafood dish _a la Curtis_ or two as well. Ash still has his mouth half-full when a crowd of familiar faces and non-familiar ones begin to gather around him.

Once there's enough people, Rosa, in her stunning pastel pink gown, steps into the middle and thanks everyone for attending her party. "It's an honour to have you all here. But what's a good party without a dose of entertainment? So, without further ado," she grins, sapphire eyes searching for her partner in the crowd, "I'd like to hand the mic over to Curtis who's going to be in charge of our first party game!"

The green-haired personality makes his way to her and kisses her on the cheek. "Thanks Ro. Alright everyone, keep up with me! For our first game, we'll be doing balloon relays. Better split yourself up into two equal teams! I've set up two chairs at the end of the hall over there, and in your teams, you're to run around the chairs and back with two balloons between your arms and one between your legs respectively. If you drop the balloons, you have to start again! The first team that completes the relay and has their last member pop all the balloons all win a prize!"

Balloon relays and prizes? Alright! The ravenette's not a competitive person in Pokémon battles alone, after all. He's not bad with his balance and sprinting, so he might just become an important player to whatever team. It's only as he's looking around that Ash thinks he recognizes the back of a particular bespectacled blonde and, feeling oddly energized, he approaches him with a smile.

"Clemont, hi!"

"H-Huh? Oh, Ash. You're here!" The blue-eyed gym leader seems to light up with his presence. They shake hands and exchange grins before a few minutes of catching up. "Wow, I'm really glad to see you! What brings you to Unova?"

"Well, uhh, Rosa, actually. She invited me over after the screening of her movie. She and her co-star did really exceptionally, huh?" He admits.

"Better be careful saying that in front of Christoph. Apparently he really wanted the role but her manager wouldn't allow a Pokémon sensation star in Rosa's first romance gig. He's still sour, even though he doesn't seem like it."

Clemont tells Ash as they're sorting into teams (Iris and Cilan are here too! Sweet! Then there's Cress, Chili, Roxie and Cheren, all special guests of their beloved brunette friend) that during his time in Kalos, Curtis had needed someone to host him for a few days and the blonde offered to do so. That's how they've become good friends, but rather than calling him by his real name, the electric-type gym leader's gotten used to calling him Christoph. It's funny, how small the world was. They're still chatting amongst each other when Roxie puts her foot down and tells them they're to have a thorough team talk to guarantee their win.

"I suggest we have the slowest, least coordinated sprinter up last, and the fastest, most coordinated sprinter up first. That way, we'll have a smashing hit of a headstart." She suggests, her ice blue eyes scanning her team mates from left to right. "Who here thinks they're either of them?"

"Err, the slowest one would definitely be me." Clemont raises his hand up, not even embarrassed. "I just can't do laps."

"Okay. And who would be the fastest?"

"I don't want to brag but, I'm fiery hot with passion! Give me 'em balloons and I'll brush through this without taking a breath!"

Iris rolls her eyes. "Well... Looks like Chili's up for it. That means we'll just order each other up from fastest to slowest, right? Ash, you're pretty quick on your feet. We'll put you on second. Roxie could be third, Cilan fourth, I'll be fifth, Cheren is sixth, Cress is seventh and Clemont is last. How's that? Now Clemont, how sharp is your ass?"

" _Excuse me_?" Ash doesn't even try to hide his snicker when the Kalosian teen shoots her a funny look.

"You're supposed to pop the balloons by sitting on them," says Cilan, nudging his girlfriend on the rib for the joke. "But anyway, sharp ass or not, Curtis is calling all of us in now. Best of luck, huh?"

Cheren shrugs while Cress nods his approval. "Yeah, sure."

"...kay."

"Luck? Please. We're going to _win_ this with the best-sounding record." Roxie huffs, already getting into her place in line.

 **~o~**

Who would have known that the prizes to the first game would be _free dinner for two_ tickets at Lentimas Town's recently opened volcano-based four star restaurant? Ash didn't know, that's what. He's just glad he had a great grip on those balloons as he wobbled hysterically towards the chair at the end of the hall and back, racing against Marlon from Humilau nonetheless.

The "sharpness" of Clemont's ass definitely earned them the win though, as funny as that sounds, because all it came down to was the blonde and Yancy trying to pop the balloons one by one, with Clem having the upper hand (or rather, the _sharper ass_ , cough cough). As for Curtis and Rosa, the ravenette really commends them for their superb hosting. Food involved during the party games, hah! Boy, it will be so difficult to pick only one partner to share this free dinner with...

With all that exercise out of the way, it seems that Rosa's in charge of the next game and she's decided on something a little less energy demanding, but also... very interesting. Ash watches the girl race out of the hall in her gown and back, returning with a plastic bag of... snack boxes, or so she says. When she pulls out a box from the bag, the hazel-eyed trainer doesn't understand why everyone, including Clemont, gasps all of a sudden.

"Alright, alright. I take it we all know what we're going to play, and trust me, I had to take desperate measures to convince Curt to allow it given his perfectionist party planning." From where he's standing, Ash can see Rosa immediately digging through the red box of a chocolate-coated breadstick snack before pulling out a cellophane packet, opening it, and taking a bite out of one.

"The Pocky game is not an approved party game!" The green-eyed idol mildly argues. "No matter though, everyone knows I'd do anything for her. Well then, rules are rules. Since a lot of you know this game I take it I don't have to explain how it works, but just in case, know that you have to race to eat one Pocky from each end. I've got my co-idol Yance here and she and I will be personally overlooking a few of the rounds so pair up as best as you can, all of you. There's enough Pocky boxes for a pair each, and Rosa's made it so that whoever of the two wins the most rounds gets a prize. More prizes, more fun; a win-win situation, don't you think?"

Without even thinking about it, Ash immediately turns to Clemont who, at that very moment, happened to be thinking about pairing up with him too. And while his hazel eyes bores into the blonde's with a challenging spark, Clemont's gaze on him is nothing of the sort. If anything, Ash would say it was a domineering stare rather than a challenging one...

Taking a few steps closer to the blue-eyed genius, Ash chooses at that time to inspect his new dress pants and leather shoes for any flaws. Come to think of it, it's not common for him to dress so formally, and he'd even say that Clemont looks smashing in that deep blue tailcoat tuxedo of his.

"Sooo... Pocky game huh... I don't even need probability to know this'll be very interesting indeed." Clemont comments, barely looking at the boy in front of him. Ash doesn't really know if he'd make a similar conclusion – to him, all eating contests are... _just that_. But it's good he gets to eat something though! He loves food as much as he does Pokémon and battling, after all.

When Rosa gets to them, she squeals this really girly squeal, covers her mouth instantly, then composes herself before handing Ash the snack box and studying them both excitedly. "You boys have funnnn... May the best one win."

"Uuhh, sure..." Ash shrugs. What was that excitement all about...?

.

.

.

The hazel-eyed teen doesn't even stall when he tears open the Pocky box, hands Clemont the other cellophane packet and immediately begins eating. He's not even on his third breadstick Pocky thing whatever when the bespectacled Kalosian suddenly shakes his head.

"What... what _are_ you doing?"

"I'm _eating_ ," Ash replies matter-of-factly. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? Better hurry up Clem. I go through snacks quickly."

"Wait wait wait wait wait. Do you even know _how to play_ the Pocky game?"

" _Not a clue!_ All I know is that Curtis said you must race to eat the Pocky, and _I am_. Still, I'm not letting you win if that means I get another free dinner ticket." Ash is already on his fifth one, half processing the snack's breadstick-y taste and its sweet and rich dark chocolate coating. _Mmm..._ "Don't worry though, I'll invite you as my guest if I win."

Standing dumbfoundedly beside him, Clemont's not sure whether to laugh or make a facepalm at Ash's sheer cluelessness. It's only when the ravenette finishes a total of ten breadsticks that Clemont finally moves, stealing the packet from him agitatedly and properly teaches the dark-haired teen how it's done.

"Okay. No. More. Eating. Let. Go. Of. Packet! Good."

"What's the big idea? I'm not fini–" And the blonde doesn't let him finish. Ash can safely say from experience that when Clemont begins to conspicuously leer at him and his spectacles start gleaming under the flare of (in this case, the chandelier) lights, the inventor is silently planning something...

"Allow me to enlighten you on the tradition that is the Pocky game." The gym leader starts. "Now open up and say "ah"."

"Uhh...?"

Taking a breadstick between two fingers, Clemont lodges it between Ash's lips. "Mmppff!"

"Good. Now keep it there. The object of the game is to eat _one_ Pocky from _each_ end, and that's why we're in pairs. You start chewing from your end, and I'll join in at the other end. Does that sound clear enough?"

"Mhmm."

"Okay then. Let's sta–" Clemont cuts himself off abruptly upon noticing that the Pocky between Ash's lips has disappeared. _Where... did it go?_ In front of him, the dark-haired trainer attempts to feign innocence as he swallows what's in his mouth.

"You _ate_ it?"

"Well you told me to start chewing, so _I did_! I only kept it there when you told me to." The hazel-eyed teen defends himself. "I was only listening to you since you are the expert here."

Ash blinks rapidly as he studies Clemont scrunch his nose and adjust his glasses. "Well, this is going to be a lot harder than I thought. Try it again, but this time, _don't eat the Pocky._ "

"Yes sir!"

Picking out yet another breadstick from the packet, Ash holds it in place between his teeth and awaits the next instruction. He's got the chocolate-coated end in his mouth and in all fairness, even without having heard of the snack before, he already knows it'll soon become his favourite. The blonde's still talking _at_ him but it's all jibberish, something about, "wait for me to join before you start eating," or whatnot.

 _Start eating..._ when is Clemont going to join in...?

Ash isn't even aware that he's already halfway through the Pocky, just short of where the chocolate coating ends when Clemont eyes him with a convicting stare. "Ash."

 _Whoops._

"I'm sorry, I really can't help it...! It's a good snack!" Food is meant to be eaten, not played with, after all! But how is he supposed to tell the inventor that without sounding absurd?

Well then," Pointing at the closest pair to them, the blonde figures it's time for a more visual approach. They're going to get nowhere if he tries teaching Ash through _simple_ vocal instructions a _third_ time.

"There. You see that? They're both eating the Pocky together. Kind of like, err, slurping up one end of a string of pasta. Once you're almost finished with the Pocky, whoever can hold out the longest wins."

"H-Huh?" The unfamiliar duo Clemont is referring to simultaneously munch on their breadstick, lips mere millimetres apart as they stare each other down. "But what if they end up kissing? There's a possibility of that happening, right?" All around Ash, some of the other pairs are already doing so... uhh...

"That," Clemont concludes, "is the _fun_ part of the game."

Without further ado, the dark-haired teen finds himself being spun around by the hand, an arm coming to rest behind his back to steady him. The blonde's leer is back and it's more sinister than ever behind those traitorous glasses of his, rendering Ash totally speechless. Err, why is his throat drying up all of a sudden... ahaha? Then there's Clemont's very knowing smile; Arceus, his stomach chooses now of all times to violently digest what he's eaten in the past hour...

"So Ash, you ready to play with me?"

As if the blonde would let him say no.

 **~o~**

The first try isn't so bad. Since Ash had eaten most of the Pocky in the first packet, they only have a few breadsticks left to play the game. While Curtis and Yancy are still roaming the floor and inspecting the other players' rounds, the two make the most of their seemingly _alone_ time. Clemont hadn't trusted Ash again to start with the Pocky, though. Instead, he let the ravenette join in at the other end while the blonde himself kept a Pocky between his lips. Did Clemont always have really perfect lips? Not that Ash often looked at lips, no, but they aren't chapped like he knew his was. What the heck are these _weird_ thoughts?!

"Ready? Join in anytime," the bespectacled teen mumbles as coherently as he could while balancing the breadstick between his teeth. Ash shrugs away his weird thoughts and hesitantly bites around the other end of the Pocky. He seems to be doing well convincing himself this was just another eating contest with a sneaky twist of events at the end, at least, until the hazel-eyed teen finds himself millimetres away from bumping noses with Clemont.

It's those rather large, _scrutinizing_ azure eyes of the blonde's that makes Ash take a last bite and pull away.

Fffffff–!

"Nice. Great first try, huh? It's not as horrible as it appears to be, really." Clemont tells his back minutes later, already digging through the packet for a second Pocky.

"Aren't you the Pocky game expert..." Ash sarcastically says. He finds himself thinking about whether the electric-type gym leader has ever played this game before, and even _kissed_ someone whilst playing this game before. Why does that make him feel sort of sour? It's definitely likely, and Clemont's always been a smarty pants, so...

Plus, the blonde's gotten really popular since he resumed honouring his title as the Lumiose City Gym Leader after their journey. He's tough on opponents, a lot more confident and constructive and strategic, but at the same time, very caring... affectionate and warmhearted... Who wouldn't want a kiss from him?

Maybe Bonnie's even found a "keeper" to take care of him... hnn...

Ugh! WHAT are these thoughts?!

"Let's continue? I'm sure you want a chance to win against me." Clemont takes his hand and spins him around to face him yet again. This time though, the smile the blonde flashes at him is warm and encouraging and Ash is just... _confused_ beyond compare.

"Kaay..."

.

.

.

After five, six, seven times, Ash begins to get the hang out of it. _It's just another eating contest,_ he tells himself before biting off pieces of the breadstick connecting their lips together. He still hasn't won a round though because he keeps pulling away before they get too close. Why the heck is he so agitated anyway? Kisses are nothing compared to winning another ticket for two to a newly opened four-star restaurant! Arceus, if anything, it's a good thing he's paired up with Clemont. They're friends. Where's the weird in that?

"Alrighty! Roxie seems to be winning big time against Cheren, and hah, let's not forget Cress' comebacks against his hot-headed brother!" Curtis announces to the crowd in his personality voice. "Ash, Clemont, you won't mind us being judges for you two for a while?" he says again a little later on once Yancy and he arrive at their spot in the hall.

The bespectacled azure-eyed teen grins. "Course not, Christoph. Ash?"

"Err..." Clearly, he's the only one finding this game peculiar because Clem's as nonchalant as ever and the other two Pokémon Idols have adapted their professional roles. "Y-Yeah, go ahead."

Yancy giggles happily to herself, her pink hair bouncing in her glee. "So, who's winning so far?"

"We're actually kind of behind since Ash hasn't played before." Clemont explains as he pulls another Pocky from the packet. "He's doing really well though! Are you ready for round eight, Ash?"

"Ooh, yes! Let's see!" Yancy says.

The dark-haired teen doesn't know why Clemont won't admit that he's winning against him, but he nods anyway as he bites around yet another end of another Pocky. From the corner of his eye, Ash sees Curtis take out a handy video camera to document the round easily. Suddenly, the extra pairs of eyes are too much pressure for him but the Pikachu Trainer proceeds with it anyway, munching on the Pocky at the same time as the blonde.

"Currently tied for their eight round is Ash and Clemont, but there's still a chance for the tables to turn!" commentates the pink-haired Pokémon Idol. "It seems like they've reached the end of the Pocky but who of the two is going to pull away first?"

Indeed the two of them are at the end of the breadstick, noses already touching before Clemont inches further for another bite. Ash could feel the other's breath ghosting over his face but this time for sure, he's determined to win this. The only reason he's been losing is because he keeps pulling away too early out of... nervousness, maybe. Even just one round. Ash needs to win at least one round, and then he's sure he'll win the next few with enough determination.

Hah, as if the blonde would move another inch closer... the inventor would never intend to kiss him anyway...

"Neither of the two are moving!" Curtis says, his fist clenched with excitement. Rosa's decided to spectate from the sidelines and she, along with the hyperactive Yancy, is mentally placing her bet on Clemont to take the win. The blonde's citrusy scent's beginning to affect Ash for reasons he can't explain and he wants nothing but to pull away to avoid the awkward atmosphere. In front of him, the same blonde is smiling bodly at him, wiggling his eyebrows as though he's _daring_ him to pull away first.

Not this time though. Those sly and suggestive looks are not going to get to him!

Clemont shrugs, feeling as though this round's gone on long enough. Just when the hazel-eyed teen thought he was going to win for sure, the Kalosian inventor moves forward instead of backward, sucking up the last of the Pocky stick. It isn't only Ash who freezes when his lips touch Clemont's – the brunette girl and Yancy both don't see it coming and they squeal uncontrollably at the sight.

 **WHATWHATWHATWHATWHATWHATTTTTT? WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?**

After what seemed like a eternity (really, it was just Ash gawking at the bespectacled blonde as he slowly closes those daunting azure eyes, enjoying the moment while the black-haired teen stands there, his lips against Clemont's, shocked to oblivion), Clemont takes a step back and puckers his lips together, pushing his frames up in the process. Even Curtis is left speechless, glancing around at the video camera, at Yancy, at Rosa, at Ash then back at the unpertubed gym leader.

"Oh, I lost. Great win, Ash." He whispers, a hand extended out to shake the so-called (still frozen) winner's. "Hmm, Pocky really is delicious..."

"W-Well, uhh, it appears that Ash _has_ won his current round against Clemont...!" Yancy continues, her small form jittery. She knows exactly what intrusion is and at the mean time, she, Curtis and Rosa are ruining a _moment_. "Christoph, to the next pair, shall we? There's a prize up for grabs and so many rounds still to go!"

"Sure thing, Nancy." The three head off afterwards to another part of the hall.

Ash... doesn't even know...!? He's still in the middle of processing WHAT IN ARCEUS' JUST HAPPENED when Clemont forgets the handshake and raises a hand to fix up his falling fringe instead. "You look like a Tamato Berry, Ash. It's cute. I, uhh, I've kinda been wanting to do that for a while."

"Do that" as in play the Pocky game or KISS HIM? Because if Clemont had been intending to kiss him in the first place, well he should have told him instead of having it videotaped by their friends to see for years and years! "And whose fault is it that I currently resemble a Tamato Berry? Arceus, Clemont, you could have told me you were going to do THAT!"

"Do _what_?"

"Oh come on! Y'know! K-K-K..." For goodness sake, even saying _it_ out loud is embarrassing! Ash tries to recompose himself even as he nervously fiddles with his fingers when the blue-eyed inventor takes advantage of his hesitance.

"Kiss? Are you perhaps suggesting you want to do it again?"

" **No!** I mean, not no _no,_ but no _not here_ and– well, that doesn't mean I want to kiss you either because I _don't_ but– err, wait, I didn't mean it that way, _I like you_ , really, but... but... h-h-huh?"

Chuckling fondly, Clemont hooks an arm around the flustered black-haired teen. "Alright. I get it. Sorry. And I like you too, Ash. You're just _so_ cute."

Like him? As in... "he's a keeper" like _like_? Or "we're cool", like _like_?

Wait, **W-W-WHAT?**

 **~o~**

In the end, Clemont's considered the winner between the two of the overall prize of, surprisingly enough, a discount coupon for one of Castelia City's infamous confectionery stores along with the other Pocky game winners. Rosa promises that there are still a few games following soon after, but Ash decides two was enough for the current hour. One can only play with food for so long, right?

The inventor joins him some time later at the food table, asking him if he'd accompany him to dinner at Lentimas the next day.

"We could even have Pocky for dessert if you want. It's a win-win since it's all f-r-e-e..." The bespectacled teen suggests kindly, waving the confectionery store coupon. Hah! It's not really a tough offer, and Clemont knows Ash could never say no to anything food related. Since when did the gym leader become so cunning?

"Sure. But no Pocky. Kissing and chewing at the same time is way too distracting."

Clemont could only grin. "Then you've got yourself a date."

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **Most of the characters and the setting are from Black and White 2.**

 **Christoph = Curtis, Nancy = Yancy. They're both Pokémon Idols in the game with screen names.**

 **Rosa = BW2 female protagonist; Cheren, Cress, Chili, Roxie and Marlon = BW2 gym leaders.**

 **seme!Clemont is my guilty pleasure. :P To Giratina with inconsistency and rushed endings, nai! Ciao x.x**


	4. Knot in Love

**H-E-L-L-O! Chii's online again! I can't even with school right now. I've got too many assignments and trying to juggle those with my hobbies is currently not working out for me. I've been drawing more often than I have been writing but darn do I really have to update all my other ongoing fics! TIME TIME I NEED MOAR TIME!**

 **Here's a little Diode oneshot inspired by a doujinshi I read some days ago (credits go to the artist because that story was so adorable). I guess it's super similar to _There's A Light,_ but in this case, Ash is "seme" (which, for those who know me, I don't usually write).**

 **Another thing for those who know me, I am extremely punny when it comes to titles. Is the knot _in love_ or are _you_ not in love? Not even ash-amed. I should be pun-ished for these.**

 **Toodles!**

* * *

Knot in Love (K)

 **Summary:** Clemont finds himself in a hairy situation.

 **~o~**

The blonde is sad.

He's just finished off drafting a blueprint for a mind reading ray prototype, sulking face-first on his desk as he lazily drags his pen across a stray piece of paper. Pfft. When he does sit up, there's a massive squiggle of failure across the once-clean page, a close representation of his current state of mind.

This is ridiculous. **A mind reading ray prototype?** It's not like he hasn't turned to science to solve his problems before (cue in his list of "totally amazing" inventions for the _silliest_ situations and their totally not-godawful-names-despite-what-Bonnie-thinks here), but _really?_ This has to be Clemont's first time thinking that _science just ain't gonna cut it, bruh._

Before finding himself hopelessly defeated on his desk, creative ideas long gone, the Kalosian teen had been thinking of talking to Ash about something. On the days the ravenette does visit Lumiose from all corners of the world (which is more often than possible, he noticed), Ash has been looking past him during their conversations, never making eye contact. To the blonde, it seems as though there is someone or something behind him that's got Ash's attention, and though it shouldn't really matter, he can't help but feel... _insignificant._

Maybe Ash doesn't really like talking to him — that's why he's always so distracted. But they were friends, right? Ash always visits him at least five times a week, from Sinnoh or Johto or the Orange Islands despite how difficult it is to travel those distances. And pfft, it's not like you always have to make eye contact when talking to somebody... It's scientifically proven that most people look directly at the bridge of another person's nose during conversations. Thing is... the Pikachu Trainer doesn't do **either** with him though! He just stares over him like he's not even there!

Maybe his glasses look dorky on him, or his sapphire eyes are too much to bear. He makes sure to clean them every day though, but there's nothing he can really do about his eyes. Was it his forehead? Does he have acne or something? Pathetic huh, how much Clemont has been mulling over one tiny thing. But you can't really blame a guy for being too self-conscious around a person he loves.

Chespin enters his room minutes later, hauling a bag filled with macarons behind him. They've gone their separate ways, his friends and him, just like they always knew they would after Ash had competed in and won the Kalos League. At least they still keep in touch every now and then. Bonnie's training with Korrina over at the Shalour Gym most of the time, and Serena sends him macarons every so often from Arceus-knows-where she is. As for himself, he's been constantly trying to juggle inventing and running the central gym of Kalos, with much success at that too if he'd like to admit.

…Then there's kicking himself mentally because Ash is supposed to be on his way here in a few hours and he doesn't feel confident enough to just ask him why he won't _look_ at him!

"Ches..." The Spiky Nut Pokemon scales up his bed and his desk edged along his room window, patting the sulking blonde's head. He even gestures to the bag of macarons and encourages his human friend to take one to make him feel better.

"Thanks Chespin. I'm feeling fine. Just a little down about Ash, is all..." Clemont swipes the detailed blueprint from his desk and with a macaron in the other hand, begins to study it thoroughly. "As cool as the Clemind Reader X is going to be, I think it'll be better if I just talked to Ash about it."

"Chespin! Ches-pin-ches!"

"I know. Sometimes I wonder why he even bothers to visit me when you and I both know I'll never be good enough for him." He sighs. "Oh well. You can't help falling anyways. I have to start making lunch for when he does arrive; you want to come with?"

"Pin. Chespin-pin!" Lunch sounds like a perfect time to bring up the subject. Clemont's just hoping he'll actually have the confidence to do so.

 **~o~**

On second thought, maybe the sapphire-eyed teen should have finished the Clemind Reader X.

"…and then Cynthia actually sent out her Garchomp first hand, but ohoho! My Mega Glalie was no match for that dragon! Ice Beam, Ice Beam, here we go! Have I told you that it took forever for my Snorunt to learn Ice Beam? But now it's so OP, and everyone cheered because it made a critical one hit KO, ahaha!"

Clemont's eyes are focused on Ash's ecstatic expressions, chin in his hand as he tries to mentally deduce why on earth the guy's staring at the top of his head. The ravenette seems cheerful enough in his presence to be retelling his latest battle with the Sinnoh Champion, so that means Ash doesn't dislike being around him, at least. Clemont knows that there aren't any portraits or appliances behind him for the hazel-eyed teen to be staring at – just a plain old boring white wall in the dining room. His plateful of pork onigiri is long gone, but Ash still has one left with only one or two bites.

The Pikachu Trainer continues to talk to the _imaginary person or thing_ behind him _._ "Afterwards, Cynthia's Milotic took massive damage from my Sceptile, and all it took was two Leaf Blades! Of course, I should probably teach him Frenzy Plant but that takes too much energy even though it's a really powerful move!"

.

.

.

Halfway through his crush's recount, the sapphire-eyed teen pushes his plate away and stands up, ready to leave. Clemont can't do it. He can't just ask. He doesn't want to know what's wrong, even though he probably _should_ know so he could tackle the problem head-on. That's always been his thing — critical thinking and problem solving. But when it comes to his own life, he just can't apply his own algorithms, test it out and have everything working perfectly.

It's then that Ash finally, but momentarily, looks at him, worry etched deep in his hazel eyes.

"H-Hey, you don't look alright... What's up? Something wrong?"

The moping blonde rearranges his overall sleeves with his head tilted down and is about to head for his room. "M'fine. I'm done eating, so I'm heading back. I've— I've just got a project to finish. Don't mind me at all..."

Clemont's wavering voice fails him enough that Ash doesn't buy his story. His battle with Cynthia forgotten, the ravenette also gets up on his feet, grabs at the blonde's arm and spins him around to face him before he could leave.

"I'm sorry, I just kept blabbing on, I didn't even give you a chance to speak, wow, I'm really terrible, I'm supposed to be the respectful guest here and I'm sorry–" the Kanto teen frowns. Now Ash is really, _really_ looking at him. Concerned hazel on despondent sapphire, Clemont notes how pretty those orbs are before curling into himself.

He's not worth the money and time Ash spends just to visit him. He's not worth Ash's frantic apologies and there is no way Ash will ever feel the same way about him. At least, that's what he thinks before a gentle hand cups his left cheek and slowly cards through his sunshine-coloured hair. The gesture alone really surprises him.

"You gotta tell me what's wrong, Clem. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Clemont nods. It still doesn't make his problem more significant though.

Sighing and fidgeting uncomfortably, the blonde mumbles, "You n-n-never look at me when we t-talk. It's like there's something over my head that's got your eye or… or… something w-wrong with my eyes or my glasses or whatever. And I know I'm ridiculous for worrying about it but I can't help but think that you don't like me anymore. You come all this way to hang out when there could be more important things you could do, and sure we're friends and you're always free to come visit me but I feel like too much of a burden for you to do that and I'm sorry, _I know it's a stupid thing…"_

Ash doesn't look like he thinks it's stupid, though. "Oh Clem…"

With a compassionate expression on his face, he pulls the blonde into his embrace and just… holds him, letting him know through gestures just how much he means to him. The dark-haired teen is warm and careful as he strokes his hair and cradles his form. You can't blame Clemont for being self-conscious. He's always been this way, and it takes a really patient person to be able to convince him that he's loved.

"Clemont, you are the most amazing gym leader and inventor and _individual_ I know!" Ash tells him confidently, the light in his eyes enough to convince him that Ash isn't lying. "I visit you because I want to. I always want to see you, you know that. Heck, if I could do anything about it I'd whisk you away right now and take you with me, gym leader responsibilities or not. You're never a burden so don't you _ever_ think of yourself that way. Your eyes are fine, and so are your glasses, and anything else about you that you're self-conscious about. There is _nothing_ wrong with you."

These are words that everyone wants to hear, and though he knows it deep down, sometimes it's just more reassuring to hear it from someone else's lips. The two exchange shy glances, blinking every now and then. A slow smile makes its way on Clemont's face before he leans into the caressing hand of this kind, perfect and brilliant individual in front of him.

Ash is even more beautiful when he's beaming at him like that, that is, until he gets distracted again.

"AHA! HAH! I knew it I KNEW IT! I knew I wasn't dreaming, it's totally legit!" He blurts out, instantaneously ruining _the moment_ as he pulls away from Clemont to inspect... the top of his head. The bespectacled blonde's lightning-bolt-shaped lock of hair seems to be the object of Ash's attention because he's circling him now, totally captivated.

"Is there something wrong with my cowlick?"

Ash grins. "I've been staring at it all this time, waiting for something to happen. Shit, that's probably why you think I'm not looking at you, right?" He stops his circling and grimaces. "I'm sorry Clemont, I didn't even think of how you'd feel about it... But some weeks ago I was looking at you and your cowlick just... it does this thing. Sometimes it sinks to form a heart shape and I thought it was really cute but I've only seen it do that a few times. Almost thought it was just my imagination but it's clearly not, AHAHA!"

 _Heart shape?_ His cowlick sinks into a heart shape?

.

.

And that's why Ash hasn't been making eye contact? Because he's looking at his cowlick?

 _A cowlick that can apparently form a heart shape?!_

"Awww, it went back to normal." Ash tells him, eventually backing away to give the blonde some space. "There's got to be some science linked to it, right? Something about gravity or whatever? Did you know about this before? How does it even work?"

Heck, Clemont wasn't aware of it at all! How long has it been doing that? He tugs on the lock of hair himself and fixes it a little, feeling puzzled.

"I have no idea." He says.

 **~o~**

Some minutes later, the boys clean up the table and place all their used dishes in the kitchen sink. All their Pokémon are in the training room at the other end of the house, something the blonde has designed to help train his Pokémon away from the gym. They drop by just to see things are fine before walking back towards the corridor that leads to the blonde's room.

"I guess I have a new project to do now. Although I can't say for sure that I know where to start... Initial online research might have to do..." Clemont scrunches his nose, his technical brain already brainstorming for possibilities. Could gravity really be a factor? Wind resistance? Air pressure? The Cowlick-Has-A-Shape-o-Matic could be a possible invention to make, right? It shouldn't really be a big deal, but then again, this is Clemont. Every tiny detail and curious thing has a scientific explanation.

"Sounds like a plan, Clem." Ash encourages him. "I'm sure that whatever you do will produce successful results. You are Kalos' boy genius, after all. And from now on I promise I'll make more eye contact as long as you promise to tell me the second you have a problem so I can do something about it, alright?"

The blonde is surprised when Ash leans in too closely from his left, grasping for his hand in the process. It's that one squeeze and the rubbing of a thumb against the back of his hand that makes Clemont blink rapidly and keel in his cherry-faced state.

"Aye! The heart-shape's back! Clemont, come and see! Where's the bathroom mirror uhhh... Come on! We gotta hurry before it disappears!"

The blue-eyed teen just lets Ash pull him along since he already has a valid hypothesis for why his hair knots in the shape of love.

* * *

 **Chii: I've doodled Clemont with said heart-shaped "cowlick" before, but I might have to do it more often now XD I hope I described it well enough, because if not I'll link an art for visualization.**

 **Oh Clem... my current muse...** **o(≧∇≦o)**


End file.
